Dear Ethicist: I’m chomping at the bit. I can’t wait. The problem is that my expectations aren’t great. They’re rather modest. I want to go out to dinner. I want to watch certain series on Netflix. I want to know. I hate it when anything is ambiguous. I find that people around me intentionally withhold fulfilling even the most modest demands because they sense my anxiety. This doesn’t seem fair. If I could generalize, I’d ask why doesn’t the world give me what I want? If my desires are so easy to satisfy why not just satisfy them to get me out of the way.
Not So Great Expectations
Dear Not So Great Expectations: I hear you, but what happens when someone says, OK let’s get a bite at the Dionysius? From my experience, people with your particular complaint are never satisfied. Yes, these are all small demands which would be relatively easy for anyone to meet. What creates the problem is that once you get what you want, it’s never enough. You immediately want more. There are those with big ambitions who're constantly going for it, but these kinds of folks, believe it or not, are easier to tolerate since once they get or don’t get what they want, that’s it. In other words, it’s better to be a predator than a pest. If you notice, horses constantly swat their tails at flies. Do you want to be a horse or a fly or, for that matter, a mouse who's chased by a cat?
Dear Ethicist: Can I think about it and get back to you?
Dear Not So Great Expectations: Sure!
Read review of Francis Levy's Seven Days in Rio, New York Journal of Books
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